Fun Poll--What would your dog do? - Page 14

olskoolgsds, Well said. I love all of my dogs, even my chicken, she is quicker to learn than the rest. I just know which one I want with me, if push comes to shove. I very much enjoyed this poll, it got me to thinking about the personalities of my dogs, not that there is anything wrong with any of them.

I totally agree 100% about the love of the dogs but not the dog people. I could never breed or show on a large scale without killing people. I'm not trying to change the breed, just trying to find a nice line that works for me.

olschoolgsd, sounds like you are saying "don't expect much from your GSD, you may end up disappointed when he won't respond 100% to protect you in a serious attack". I say this, the very best protectors (in real time with proven, documented incidents) either were family pets who lived inside the home 24 hours a day with the family or if a service dog had the dog with them at work at at home. These dogs had the total devotion and love of their owner(s) and their family and qwere very well cared for in every way. These dogs had sound normal GSD temperament and responded in kind with total devotion. In my experience, folks who say GSDs just can't be depended on 100% really just haven't had GSD with good, strong, sound temperament, but dogs of inferior breeding and/or mental culls from top kennels. As I stated the hardest GSDs in my area were bred by a famous seeing eye kennel, and these dogs were totally sound and superbly trainable in anything. If you have never had a GSD like I am describing who you live with and have a close bond, then you will never understand what I am describing. At least four of the incidents I described are 100% verifiable. The trick is knowing how to get a GSD like this with normal temperament (usually they haven't been products of intense linebreeding).

Back in the early 1980's a breeder friend of American blooded GSDs of many years and I went to visit Adam Kuhn's kennel and then later to Jack Ogren's kennel (both in the greater Chicago area). Adam had leased an SV VA rated Zuchtschau GSD male that was also very highly rated in Bundessiegerprofung (a black sable crossover dog that was anatomically correct, moved very good from the side and was a beautiful dog. Adam let the dog off lead and had him so some basic obediance tasks. He also said whatever you do don't look the dog in the eye. He will take it as a challenge. My friend then tried to stare the dog down at a distance of about 30 feet. The dog ran at him and jumped and hit him in the chest knocking him down and then stood on his chest growling until Adam called him off. The dog was friendly to me and allowed me to pet him because I didn't challenge him and he knew I liked him. This dog was rock solid and completely reliable. He was midsized but was a stallion male and was impressive in every way. There is no way this dog would have ever have failed to protect his master with a 100% effort. The dog had courage that wouldn't quit. That was also true of the other dogs of Adam's that I saw that day. This ind of temperament is loyal, devoted and incorruptable. I feel sorry for those GSD enthusiasts who have never had a GSD with this kind of temperament and think they are experts on GSD temperament, training, Schutzhund and protection. A normal temperamented GSD who lives in one's home and is a family dog can certainly benefit from odediance training, but does not need Schutzhund training to protect his family. In fact I think for many family GSDs it can muddy the situattion.

Preston, I respect your knowledge and experience. It is very apparent to me that we are just not on the same page. Good luck with your dogs and the confidence you have in them. I think you might be reading more into what I have been trying to say OR I have not done a very good job of communicating my thoughts. Either way, all I have is my own observations, experiences, and accumulated knowledge that certainly is not an exhaustive, scientific study. I have said this before, it is not my intention to argue on this site. This has gone on long enough and at this point I will say that you have your views and they obviously differ from mine. That really doesn't matter to me as much as my concern that other people that read this message board have an opportunity to check out their dog with a good trainer, and not assume their dog will " give their life in an instant". It is not really about yours or my opinion and if it has become that then shame on both of us. I would never trust a fire arm that I did not personally load, and I personally think it's a mistake to trust in a dog that I have not tested. Good night to all.

Given the scenario no one--- would get close enough to grab me, or my groceries! If you see me or wife at Kroger's any evening walk over and say hello. We will know you approach and be proud to introduce you to the dog we happen to have with us. Morgan

I don't know if my 10 month old GSD would bite. I know that for right now, I feel like he's becoming a liability for us - if someone comes to the house, he comes unglued. We have to lock him up. We had a worker come into the house a month ago and my dog ran to him viciously and cornered him. My dog's teeth were not 3 inches from his face... it was really scary. I don't know what he would have done if I were not there to grab him. However, in public, at the park or at someone's house, you'd think he was the sweetest GSD you'd ever met. How do I control a 90 male GSD when people come to the house? Do any of you have this problem?

Melissa, you need to do some serious obedience training quickly. The dog is about to become out of hand. By the way how did you come by this dog and how often are you in contact with the breeder?

olskoolgsd, if you read all my posts in this sequence you will note that I believe in testing GSDs in real time. Over many years I have tested my dogs and many of my friends and other local GSD owners dogs in various situations. Some of these dogs that we tested later on did even better in actual real time situations, suggesting again that the normal GSD has high intelligence, can make sound judgements and can execute appropriate actions to protect his master and territory. I am well familiar with many GSDs from intense line breeding that are of poor temperament. Some GSDs that come on hard and fast (overly aggressive) break off when the aggressor stays with them in full force. The GSDs that defend and protect their masters the hardest have usually been the ones that naturally like people, are completely calm and sound and are what I would describe as "happy dogs". I was very surprised to find out that the hardest GSDs locally turned out to be from a very well known seeing eye GSD breeder whose dogs were totally sane and sound. When "stimulated" by a stick these dogs fought much harder than unsound dogs. One big exception (quite a surprise) was a black/bi-color spook that we tested that did as well as any sane GSD defending his master. But he had a short fuse and was not the kind of GSD I would want or have. My point is this: always have a very experience GSD breeder or handler help you test you GSD in real time home situations so you know what you dog will do.

olskoolgsd, if you read all my posts in this sequence you will note that I believe in testing GSDs in real time. Over many years I have tested my dogs and many of my friends and other local GSD owners dogs in various situations. Some of these dogs that we tested later on did even better in actual real time situations, suggesting again that the normal GSD has high intelligence, can make sound judgements and can execute appropriate actions from those judgements to protect his master and territory. I am well familiar with many GSDs from intense line breeding that are of poor temperament. Some GSDs that come on hard and fast (overly aggressive) break off when the aggressor stays with them in full force. The GSDs that defend and protected their masters the hardest usually were the ones that naturally like people, are completely calm and sound and are what I would describe as "happy dogs" (they run to fireworks and loud noises and are curious). I was very surprised to find out that the hardest GSDs locally turned out to be from a very well known seeing eye GSD breeder whose dogs were totally sane and sound. When "stimulated" by a stick these dogs fought much harder than unsound dogs. One big exception (quite a surprise) was a black/bi-color spook that we tested that did as well as any sane GSD defending his master. But he had a short fuse and was not the kind of GSD I would want or have. My point is this: always have a very experience GSD breeder or handler help you test you GSD in real time home situations so you know what you dog will do. And scale your controls of that GSD appropriately.